It seems that the buzz surrounding two long-running soap operas these days either has to do with cast departures, cast additions or cast members and their law infractions. On General Hospital, two of its younger actresses are often in the headlines these days for two of the above reasons.

On one hand, Kelly Monaco has been making the news for some time now with rumors about her imminent exit from General Hospital. On the other hand, Kristen Storms became news fodder for getting busted for driving under the influence last September 7.

News of Kelly Monaco's alleged impending departure from General Hospital first began circulating last year when her contract was nearing its end. She was reportedly intent on pursuing other projects, specifically for primetime. In November of last year though, she assured her fans and those of General Hospital that she and the network bigwigs had reached an agreement allowing her to do other things outside of General Hospital and daytime television.

"Kelly has agreed to terms on a contract with ABC that will allow her to continue playing Sam McCall and pursue other opportunities," said Monaco in a statement on her official website.

More recently, with Monaco once again nearing the end of her tenure, the grapevine is once more rife with rumors that she may not be around for long. This time, the actress is allegedly seeking a significant pay hike well above what the network is willing to accommodate.

In other news, Kristen Storms, who plays Maxie Jones on General Hospital, will be arraigned today on misdemeanor drunk driving charges. Storms was arrested last September 7 after a California Highway Patrol officer stopped her tossing a lit cigarette out of her blue Mercedes-Benz CLK500 on the Ventura (101) Freeway near Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

She was given a series of perfunctory sobriety tests, which she subsequently failed, after the officers "noticed the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle." Storms was forced to spend several hours in a Van Nuys jail, managing to get out after posting $5,000 in bail.

According to Frank Mateljan of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, Storms faces one count each of driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or more.